The Last Anniversary
by SlytherinGurrl
Summary: Neal helps Peter plan his and El's last anniversary in New York.


**this was written for sinfulslasher as part of my January Prompt Party! Thanks for the prompt and I hope you like this! **

**WARNING: some spoils for season 5!**

* * *

"Do you think that I actually need to give El a gift for our anniversary?" Peter Burke asked as he sorted papers on his desk. "Justa causal dinner will be fine, right?"

Neal Caffrey rolled his eyes. "You have no class, Peter. You have to get her _something_."

"I don't know what to get her though," the other man complained. "I always get her some kind of jewelry and a good book and after fourteen years, it seems a bit repetitive."

"You're such a cliché," Neal muttered. "I'm going to help you plan a great anniversary and you aren't going to complain."

"I'm guessing I really don't have a choice."

"No, you don't. Anyway, Elizabeth would really appreciate it."

"I guess," Peter agreed, sounding unsure.

"Come on, I'm great at planning things."

"Fine," Peter finally agreed. "But, promise me that you won't go overboard with the planning. El likes things to be simple."

"It's a done deal then."

Neal walked into Peter's office, holding a bag of what looked like take-out. "We're taste testing today," he announced, setting the bag on the desk. "I figured that Italian would go well with the both of you."

Peter grabbed a box of what looked like Chicken Parmigiana and stuck a forkful in his mouth. "This is fantastic," he said appreciatively. "El will love it. You definitely have good taste in food. I think we should go with whatever this is."

"I have great taste in everything," Neal boasted. "After all, quality always beats quantity."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say. But you have to admit, your taste in females is a bit weak. Your last girlfriend tried to kill you."

"Okay, maybe I have some bad luck in the dating field but other than that, I do have good taste and I know that Elizabeth would agree with me."

"Stop bringing my wife into every argument you make," Peter complained. "You're getting an unfair advantage."

"Of course I'm getting an unfair benefit. That's the whole point. Do you want dessert now?"

"What do we have?"

Neal smiled. "It's an old classic and I think you'll have a lot of fun with it. Well, maybe not. But, I think it's amazing."

"Okay, what is it?"

"You're going to decorate your own cupcakes and cookies. It'll be fun," Neal said when he saw the look of disappointment on Peter's face. "What did you think it was?"

"I thought we were going to make snow cones or something. Those are classic and I loved them when I was a kid. My dad would buy me a snow cone from the ice cream truck every time I'd win a baseball game."

"That's really cool." Neal sighed wistfully. "I can't remember doing things like that with James. Of course, he was never in contact with us when I was growing up. You're really lucky to have a caring father."

"I suppose I am," Peter agreed. "It's funny how you never appreciate a person when they're active in your life but when they're gone, you remember every good detail about them."

"What do you mean?"

"All throughout the time I lived at home, my father would always nag me about two things, school and baseball. Similarly to me, my dad was fantastic at baseball and he wanted me to be just as good. Every single day, he'd make me go to practices and he'd force me to finish all my homework and get straight A's, no matter what. When I was a teenager, I thought that having a dad like mine was a terrible thing. But now, give or take twenty years later, I'm thankful that my father taught me how to multitask and be productive. You must feel the same way about your mom, right?"

"Peter, I've never had role models in my life, except for Ellen. And, now you," he added. "I've never felt close to anyone in my life."

Peter nodded. "I get that. Just remember that El and I are here for you, as well as the rest of the White Collar division. You're like family, Neal."

"So, want to try frosting some cookies?" Neal asked, trying to break the tension between him and Peter.

"Why not? Let's eat some cookies!"

* * *

"So, here's some Pinot Noir," Peter announced, walking into the dining room with two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. "It supposedly goes well with the main course, which is Chicken Parmigiana."

"Neal told you that, didn't he?" Elizabeth asked knowingly. "Did he also pick out the food?"

"Okay, I admit it," Peter confessed. "Neal might've helped me a little bit with my plans tonight. But, most of it was my idea."

"I appreciate the gesture either way," Elizabeth said. "This Chicken Parmigiana is really good. Do you know where it's from?"

"Neal suggested it so I don't know."

"Have you told Neal about the move yet, hon?"

"Yeah, I have," he replied, nodding. "When I first told him, he seemed mad but now, he's normal again. I think he's accepted that he's going to be on a different path then I am now."

"The move's for the best," El reminded her husband. She glanced around their kitchen. "I'm really going to miss New York though."

"So am I. Let's make our last anniversary in New York a special one." Peter handed Elizabeth a box wrapped in sparkly paper. "Thank you for being so supportive this year, hon."

Elizabeth tore the paper gently to see a box of pens. "Ivory pens? That's creative," she said. "They're really nice."

"Keep looking in the box," Peter told her. "There's something else in it."

"Plane tickets. You're really taking this fourteenth wedding anniversary gift concept seriously, aren't you?" El remarked as she opened up the itinerary to see that they were going to Agate Beach, California. "You've outdone yourself, Peter," she said, walking over to give her husband a kiss. "I love you, hon."

"I love you, too."

* * *

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